Even in a world of digital communication, where emails and greetings
through Facebook, Instagram, and other social media can be sent in
milliseconds, mailboxes around the country are still filled with traditional Christmas
cards every single year. Almost 10 million
cards are sent out every Christmas, at a cost of approximately $2 billion
dollars per year. That’s a lot of cards!
But, have you ever wondered where the tradition of sending these
Christmas cards began?
The tradition actually began because one guy was just too
busy. Sir Henry Cole was an Englishman
who felt his life was moving so fast that he couldn't afford the time to send a
personalized greeting to his friends at Christmas as was the practice of his
day. In response, he hired an artist named John Calcott Horsley to design a card that could be sent in place of a handwritten note. And, our Christmas card tradition was born.
So, one man's perceived busyness spawned a whole new industry
that creates billions of cards each year, expanded beyond the Christmas
holidays to all the other card-giving events in our lives.
[Sources: Houston Chronicle, 12/16/6, Mini Page 1;
http://time.com/money/4148180/christmas-cards-spending-2015/]
